Our drag racing series is back again. This time it’s a convertible showdown between the MG Cyberster battery-electric convertible, and the mighty Aston Martin V12 Vantage Roadster.
Big shoutout to MG for helping us cover the cost of putting this event on. It’s incredibly expensive and resource-intensive to do this type of content, so we appreciate their support.
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The cars
MG Cyberster
MG has stuck all of its EV knowhow into the Cyberster in an aim to create a stunning convertible electric GT. This isn’t something we haven’t seen in the industry to date.
Unlike other markets where the MG Cyberster is available with two different battery sizes and with either rear- or all-wheel drive, the electric roadster is only sold here in its most powerful – and best-equipped – guise.
That means a dual-motor all-wheel drive powertrain capable of producing up to 375kW of power and 725Nm of torque.
It also features the largest battery pack available in the global lineup – a 77kWh unit delivering up to 443km of driving range on the WLTP test cycle.
Aston Martin V12 Vantage
While Aston Martin’s V8 engine isn’t really Aston Martin’s V8 engine (it’s actually sourced from Mercedes-AMG), the V12 is all theirs. And what makes it a little more unique than older V12 Aston Martins is that it’s turbocharged – just for that extra bit of poke.
It uses a 5.2-litre turbocharged V12 engine that produces 515kW of power and 753Nm of torque – just trumping the Cyberster. It also around 1500kg lighter than the Cyberster. But, while the Cyberster sends torque to all four wheels, the V12 Vantage only services the rear axle.
The results
As luck would have it, we had two days of rain. On one of the days around 40mm fell, which was crazy! So unfortunately that was a disadvantage for the Aston Martin, but the show needed to go on.
It was pretty obvious the standing-start runs would be hard for the Aston Martin given it’s rear-wheel-drive, but the rolling race was one of the closest races we have ever done. There was a hair in it. This is how it all played out:
| Vehicle | 0-100km/h | 80-120km/h | 1/4 mile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aston Martin V12 Vantage | 5.53s* | 2.39s* | 12.75s @ 197.94km/h* |
| MG Cyberster | 3.40s | 2.01s | 11.42s @ 189.53km/h |
* Damp conditions
MORE: Everything MG Cyberster
MORE: Everything Aston Martin Vantage